Reviews by DavidST:

Poured from a 33cl bottle into a goblet, coded bottle date. This pours a cloudy yeast filled tea brown color with a small thin tan head which quickly dissipates to a thin film. The smells are very fruity and malty, you get a load of ripe dark fruit, some cherries, a little Belgian funk and brown sugar. The feel is medium with a creamy high carbonination. The taste is good enough, the alcohol is very present and you get some heat, besides that there are dark fruit, candied sugar, malts. (490 characters)

More User Reviews:

Pourrs ashiney orange with a fluffy head that leaves globs of lace down my tulip glass,aromas of toasted grain and very fruity banana really comes out along with some very ripe sweet pineapple even noticed a little chocolate in there.Spicey flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg with a light tropical fruitiness with the alcohol burn really coming thru as it warms.Quite yeasty in the Belgian tradition a good cold weather sipper here on Xmas eve a nice quad. (452 characters)

Appearance - This one poured a beautiful, brownish-orange in color. It was cloudy but glowing at the same time. The big, white head came up nicely, showed good retention, and left some cool-looking pits of foam on top of the liquid.

Smell - This Quadrupel reeks of orange rind. Beneath that smell the toasted malts and citrus hops are filled with giant, powdering spices. I can also pick up a hint of yeast. This is a very complex nose and I'm sure I'm not doing it justice here.

Taste - The yeast came out much bigger at the taste. The rindy orange didn't disappoint and came along from the nose as well. The big, heavily-sweetened orange and cranberry juices stole the show, though.

Mouthfeel - This one is medium to full-bodied with some light carbonation. It is creamy and rich in texture with a finish that is both sweet and dry at the same time.

Drinkability - I felt like a king drinking this bottle. It is very well-balanced and is the "grand-cru" of the Urthel line.

Update - I popped a bottle for 2005 and was equally as pleased. The Appearance could not have been better so I'm raising this rating from 4.5 to 5.0. This is a top notch Quad that delivers in spades and, IMO, is underrated.

Update - I came upon a 2008 the other day so am taking my time at enjoying another bomber. This ranks right up there with the classic Quads like the 12s brothers and 3P.

Update - I got a hold of a 2010. This really is a fantastic beer and unlike others of the style is not overly sweetened. There's actually some mild bitterness here that balances out the monster malt profile. This really is a fascinating Quad and I never get tired of exploring the different vintages. Best of all, if you want to age this you can put it away for five years and get a monster sugar-bomb. (1,779 characters)

A: Clear pale ruby-brown in color. Rougher pour produced about a 1/4" of off-white head with low retention and good lacing. Light ring of bubbles rings the glass.

S: An interesting mix of candied brown sugar, fig, malts, and a clear presence of alcohol. Nothing in the way of hops comes forth.

T: Complex malts and a heavy sense of alcohol dominate in a semi-dry taste profile. The warming in this is closer to a red wine than beer and the mouthfeel isn't far off either. Aside from the alcohol, the flavors are relatively mild and mingle well with each other.

M&D: Mouthfeel is moderate really but the alcohol really brings on a heavier feel. Carbonation is relatively light but persistent. The strength of the brew is distracting to me, but the more you drink the more tolerable it becomes. Overall pretty good, but it's something I really need to be in the mood for. (923 characters)

A 750ml bottle served in a tulip glass. This beer was a ruby red color with a medium-sized white head that left a little bit of lacing. It had a sweet, fruity aroma. I would describe the aroma as that of cranberry orange bread. The taste was fruity, with a strong malt presence. Hops kicked in late. Maybe a little bit on the sweet side, but a truly enjoyable beer. (365 characters)

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 11.2oz bottle into a chalice. The bottle has no freshness or born on date, only a bottle number. (k28c7)

Appearance: It has a deep reddish burgundy colored body with a small beige head. The body also has a very hazy or cloudy appearance with lots of yeast sediment in it. Its head is short lived and leaves just a small ring of foam on top, around the edge of the glass. Lacing is very minimal.

Smell: In the nose I get nice fruity esters of golden raisons, figs, fig cake, liquorish and candy sugar. There is also a mellow brandy like boozy note that surrounds all the nice fruitiness.

Taste/Palate: With complexity like this it's hard to find a place to start. It has a deep rich full body with complex bready and fruity maltiness. Within it there are nice notes of golden raisons, dark sweet cherries, fig/fig cake, red liquorish, caramel and some raw grain maltiness. These notes all slowly reveal themselves with each sip and they are embraced by a pleasant brandy like warmth. The finish is still some what sweet but there are some dryer earthy yeast tones moving in here as well as some lightly spicy hop notes that bring mild bitterness. Its texture has a good firm smooth feel with plenty of soft carbonation to keep thing lively and set up the palate for the next sip.

Notes: Overall this is an outstanding Quad in my opinion. Its complex, it's big, it's pleasantly boozy, it drinks well, and the only thing I can really pick on here is the head retention and lacing. Well done!!! (1,537 characters)

large bottle, caged and corked, no freshness indication, but the label reader is informed twice that this is "Belgium's newest cult classic" pours clear glistening, light almond amber, minimal yeast in the bottle, near white puffy head, leaving, gobs of fine and scattered lacing and high quality sheeting. Nose is full of alcohol, some vanilla and honey. Strong, heady brew, lucious and smooth mouthfeel, notes of spicy honey,vanilla, pepper, warming alcohol. Nicely rounded flavors, fruity, with a spicy hoppy finish, clearly a high quality sipper. More B.A. worthy Belgian brew from Urthel. Well worth seeking out and enjoying (629 characters)

I bought this at Union Jack's on the Manatawny. I drank it in a goblet. "Belgium's Newest Cult Classic" on the label. 11.5%.

Pours a cloudy (I almost always pour in the yeast) amber orange with a two finger head of off-white foam. The head falls to a nice coating and a ring, with very good lacing. Carbonation looks medium.

Aroma is dark malt, brown sugar, and spices like black pepper, cinammon, and vanilla. Pretty decent phenolics and some alcohol in there also. Smells great.

The first flavor is huge brown sugar/molasses and yeast, followed by some good phenolics. Hop bitterness is low. Spices like pepper, cinammon, vanilla, and maybe nutmeg are right there. Sweetness is high, , and the alcohol is very well hidden. Too well! Aftertaste is sweet, dark, and warm. (Sounds like a good woman!)

Mouthfeel is full bodied, with medium carbonation. This has a HUGE mouthfeel; lots of residual sugar. The finish isa warm, with great burps.

This is a delicious beer; huge, but very well made. It has some Belgian funk, but not much. Malt is the star in this one, along with the work of the yeast. Highly recommended. (1,132 characters)

Urthel Samaranth 12 Quadrium, sounding in name more like a star in the Horsehead Nebula than an ale, announces its presence to the nose with all the subtlety of a supernova. Huge sugars, noticeable from several inches away, float from the bottle and smell of brown sugar, candied figs, lychee nut, and cognac.

On the tongue, the brew is as complex as wine and quite penetrating. Fruit esters including bananas, oranges, lychee nut, and white grape stream through the mouth, orbiting a huge caramel and brown sugar malt base. Vanilla and nut meteors pound the earth, and strong cognac flavors streak the sky above, setting the atmosphere awash in what is, unfortunately, quite a strong alcohol burn (11% ABV). The aftertaste is a blister of the above, dominated by alcohol-laced candied fruits. Mouthfeel is medium-light, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, while the flavors in here are superb, the ale is hindered by the poorly-disguised alcohols, which tend to overpower everything else--especially as one gets deeper into the bottle. The tastebuds simply can't handle the strain, and collapse into Urthel's vodka-sting event horizon. Approach with caution, and drink very slowly. (1,186 characters)

Had on tap at Brouwer's Cafe in Seattle, labeled on the beer list as Urthel Quadrupel so I am assuming this is it. Came in the proper Urthel glassware a surprising bright candy red, I was expecting something a bit darker...very nice looking nonetheless. Taste was strong with malts mixed with yeast born fruitiness....alcohol is fairly well hidden although the finish is quite warming. A much different beer than say Rochefort 10...an interesting beer to try if you have the chance. (482 characters)

Big 750 ml bottle...first glass is surprisingly clear, later ones are lightly sedimented. Bright deep darker orange color -- big frothy yellow foam. Laces in sticky globs and sheets. Spicy aroma along with a vanilla-infused custard smell, nice. Heavy cinnamon sense comes on in the flavor quickly, but so is an impressive bittering that gets a little on the annoying side. Maltiness is good up front, some sense of pear and cherry but the body seems a little thin for as big a beer as this. Finishes dry with alcoholic heat. For a Quad, I was surprised how bitter and dry this one was (similarities to the Tripel recipe ?). Combined with the alcohol, this was less drinkable than I was expecting. (696 characters)

On tap at the Sharpe Edge Emporium, appears a deep ruby amber tone sorta cloudy leaves fine belgian style lacing as the off white head dwindles slowly. Aroma contains lucious fruity highlights of plum, raisins, tart apple, and alcohol tones also presents a light herbal hop tone. Taste comes off a bit tart with the fruit tones a deep rich sweetness caramel malts with all of the raisin, apple, plum notes finishes with a mildly alcoholic finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied smooth easy going brew very soft carbonation and very flavorful. Drinkability very nice another winner from Urthel love the Hop-It as well, great quad not over the top way too drinkable. (660 characters)

Pours a creamy off-white head over glowing red-orange, slightly hazy, body. Moderate lace left clingling to the my snifter glass. Aromas of sweet orange, a crisp citric character, and a malty backbone. The taste has similar components but noticeably more complex. The sweet orange character is present, but not as much of a player as in the nose. Here on the tongue a complex mixture of sweet malt, honey, caramel, light buttery diaceytl, biscuits and toffee are up front, giving way to a nice spicy and crisp, mildly citric, finish. Exceptionally smooth but with a slightly drying finish, medium to full body overall. Warming.

I first sampled this last year at Arbor Brewing Company's Belgian tasting. I was so impresssed that I went out the next day and purchased some for more intensive 'sampling'. It's been a favorite ever since. Beware: the alcohol in this little fellow can sneak up on you. An excellent beer for winter-time hibernation. (947 characters)

A- This beer pours a dense deep copper body with a reddish glow at the base and a super thick light tan head that sticks to the glass with each sip.

S-The smell of dark sugar and a vinous note comes through during the pour. There is some dry sweetness and more dark sugar layers as the beer opens.

T- The dry brown sugar flavor has some caramel notes and a roasted malt flavor that is soft but grows a bit as the beer warms. There is a soft cream cheese note and a sherry taste to the finish with a soft sweetness to the finish. The aftertaste has a touch of bitterness but I'm not sure if it is hops or dark malt. There are some cherry cola notes to the dark sugar as the beer warms a bit.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a soft fizz and a warm alcohol heat that turns into a soft burn as the beer opens up.

O- This beer has some nice flavors but not a great deal of depth and a pleasant alcohol that works with the soft sweetness. (975 characters)

Ruby colour, small white head. Aroma is not good at all, smells like chemical solvents and that ruins it. Apart from that i find Burnt sugar and dark fruit in the aroma, maybe with a hint of honey. Flavour is better than the aroma lets on, but it is overwhelmingly sweet to an extent that it takes over all the other flavours, with that said I do find some nice notes of dark fruit, honey and port that makes this beer interesting enough to get a rather good mark for flavour. Palate is ordinary for the style. (510 characters)